Police Charge Whitman Man with Drug Trafficking

Whitman investigators arrested an alleged 19-year-old drug dealer after the suspect nearly ran down a police officer while attempting to flee the scene as police executed a search warrant Friday evening, police said.

(Published Saturday, June 23, 2018)

Whitman investigators arrested an alleged 19-year-old drug dealer after the suspect nearly ran down a police officer while attempting to flee the scene as police executed a search warrant Friday evening, police said.

In the end, members of the task force seized more than 5 pounds of marijuana, nearly $10,000 in cash and 20 grams of MDMA, also known as "MOLLY", a synthetic drug that alters mood and perception, according to a police statement.

The suspect, Cole McCarthy, of 7 Patriot Lane, faces drug trafficking and possession charges. He's also charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. The police officer was not injured but was forced to jump out of the way of the moving vehicle as McCarthy attempted to drive away, police said.

McCarthy was eyed by investigators after getting information that a man was selling Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), marijuana, and other narcotics in the Whitman area and surrounding communities, police said. MDMA was initially popular in the nightclub scene and at all-night dance parties ("raves"), but the drug now affects a broader range of people who more commonly call the drug Ecstasy or Molly.

During the probe, they determined McCarthy was arranging sales from his home and delivering drugs from his vehicle, the statement said.

"McCarthy was involved in narcotics distribution, WEB Detectives applied for and were granted two search warrants, one for the residence and a second search warrant for Mr. McCarthy’s vehicle," according to police.

"Detectives attempted to stop Mr. McCarthy, who in an attempt to flee, drove at and nearly struck one WEB Detective who had to jump out of the way of the vehicle," according to the police statement. "Whitman cruisers as well as unmarked police vehicles were able to stop Mr. McCarthy shortly up the street from his home."

McCarthy was arrested and is being held on $1,040 cash bail. The detective who was nearly struck was not injured and declined medical treatment, police said. The WEB task force is a collaborative effort of the five agencies to proactively investigate narcotics crimes and other major crimes that plague our communities.